Belmont 2007 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Belmont Bruins - Atlantic Sun (23-9, 14-4)

Seed: #15 - East Region

Big Wins: 11/14 vs Fordham (56-49), at East Tennessee State (75-74), vs East Tennessee State (94-67)

Bad Losses: 11/13 vs UNC Wilmington (83-88), 1/12 Lipscomb (50-55), 1/18 at Campbell (67-79)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2006, First Round loss to UCLA

Coach: Rick Byrd (0-1 in 1 NCAA appearance)

Probable Belmont Starters:

• Andy Wicke, Sophomore, Guard, 9.5 ppg, 2.8 apg

• Josh Goodwin, Senior, Guard, 6.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg

• Henry Harris, Sophomore, Guard, 5.6 ppg, 2.1 apg

• Matthew Dotson, Sophomore, Forward, 7.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg

• Andrew Preston, Senior, Center, 8.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg

Key Roleplayers for Belmont:

• Justin Hare, Junior, Guard, 14.4 ppg, 2.5 apg

• Shane Dansby, Sophomore, Guard, 5.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg

• Keaton Belcher, Freshman, Forward, 3.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg

• Will Peeples, Sophomore, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg

• Boomer Herndon, Senior Center, 10.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:
Belmont and Coach Rick Byrd do a great job running a three-point oriented offense around their big guy in the post. Andy Wicke and Justin Hare are the most capable scorers. Wicke hit 75 long balls on the season and shot a solid 45.7% from long range. The sophomore is not much of a threat to score in the paint and usually finds one of his teammates instead of going hard to the basket. Hare, who leads the team with 14.4 points per game, is a dynamic scorer who will score in every possible way.

Josh Goodwin and forward Matthew Dotson are capable shooters from behind the arc as well. Goodwin has had an up and down season and only averages 6.2 points per game, but he is capable of being a much bigger scorer than his season average.

Why Belmont Can Disappoint:
The Bruins share the ball well, but they turn it over more. No one player has a massive turnover problem, but everybody contributes to give Belmont 16.1 turnovers per contest. Since the team will be outmatched physically, the Bruins will not be able to carelessly give away that many possessions.

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Who To Watch:
What makes Belmont’s long range shooting so dangerous is the presence of Boomer Herndon and Andrew Preston in the post. Despite only playing 16.6 minutes per game, Herndon averages 10.9 points and a team high 5.4 rebounds. Preston earns most of the starts and is a decent scorer and rebounder himself. With both players listed at 6-10, the offense does not need to adjust no matter who is in the game. On the defensive end, Herndon and Preston are decent shot blockers and have made going into the paint uncomfortable for the entire Atlantic Sun Conference.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 73.0 (96th in nation, 4th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 64.0 (60, 1)

Field-Goal Percentage: 46.5 (66, 1)

Field-Goal Defense: 38.7 (6, 1)

Free-Throw Percentage: 69.6 (150, 7)

Rebound Margin: 3.1 (80, 1)

Assists Per Game: 15.7 (41, 3)

Turnovers Per Game: 16.1 (261, 4)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Georgetown

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